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Database & Data Management · head to head

Firestore vs PlanetScale

Firestore logo

Firestore

Database & Data Management

Flexible, scalable NoSQL cloud database from Firebase

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
PlanetScale logo

PlanetScale

Database & Data Management

The MySQL-compatible serverless database

From
$15/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Firestore has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Firestore the no-cost Spark plan caps Standard edition at 50,000 document reads, 20,000 writes and 20,000 deletes per day; PlanetScale eBS High Availability requires 3-node configuration with replication overhead
  • They diverge on capability: Firestore covers Document Model, PlanetScale covers Database Branching.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Firestore and PlanetScale actually diverge.

Attributes where Firestore and PlanetScale differ
AttributeFirestorePlanetScale
Starting priceFree$15/month
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Ios, Android, FlutterCloud-hosted (AWS, GCP, Azure)
Founded20112018

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Database & Data Management).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Firestore

  • Document Model
  • Real-time Updates
  • Offline Support
  • ACID Transactions
  • Expressive Queries
  • Multi-region
  • Security Rules
  • Firebase Auth

Only in PlanetScale

  • Database Branching
  • Non-blocking Schema Changes
  • Insights
  • Horizontal Scaling
  • Connection Pooling
  • Query Caching
  • Automatic Backups
  • Global Replication

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Firestore

  • Storing structured application data with realtime listenersnot PlanetScale
  • Backing mobile and web apps with a serverless document databasenot PlanetScale
  • Building offline first apps that sync when connectivity returnsnot PlanetScale

PlanetScale

  • MySQL database hosting with automatic failover and replicationnot Firestore
  • Vitess-based sharding for horizontal scaling across large datasetsnot Firestore
  • Cloud provider flexibility across AWS, GCP, Azure with 60+ regionsnot Firestore
  • Cost-effective database clusters using ARM64 architecture optionsnot Firestore

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Firestore

  • The no-cost Spark plan caps Standard edition at 50,000 document reads, 20,000 writes and 20,000 deletes per day
  • The Spark plan caps storage at 1 GiB and network egress at 10 GiB per month
  • Charging is per document read, so a query returning many documents bills for every one of them
  • Going beyond the free thresholds requires the pay as you go Blaze plan billed at Google Cloud rates with no fixed monthly ceiling

PlanetScale

  • EBS High Availability requires 3-node configuration with replication overhead
  • EBS Non-HA single-node option lacks redundancy and automatic failover
  • Pricing varies by cloud provider and region, requiring queries for specific rates
  • ARM64 architecture only available on EBS tier, not Metal deployments

Pricing, plan by plan

Firestore

Free
  • SparkFree
    • 1GB storage
    • 50K reads/day
    • 20K writes/day
  • BlazeFree
    • Pay as you go
    • Unlimited operations
    • Multi-region

PlanetScale

$15/month

No published plan breakdown. See the PlanetScale review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Firestore if

  • You need document model.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Flutter.
  • You also want real-time updates.
Firestore review

Choose PlanetScale if

  • You need database branching.
  • You work on Cloud-hosted (AWS, GCP, Azure).
  • You also want non-blocking schema changes.
PlanetScale review

Questions people ask

Is Firestore or PlanetScale better?
Neither clearly leads. Firestore starts at Free and PlanetScale at $15/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Firestore or PlanetScale?
Firestore has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Firestore and $15/month for PlanetScale.
Does Firestore or PlanetScale run on more platforms?
Firestore runs on Web, Ios, Android, Flutter. PlanetScale runs on Cloud-hosted (AWS, GCP, Azure).
Can I use Firestore for free?
Yes. Firestore has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. PlanetScale starts at $15/month.
What is Firestore best used for?
Firestore is most often used for storing structured application data with realtime listeners, backing mobile and web apps with a serverless document database, building offline first apps that sync when connectivity returns. Of those, storing structured application data with realtime listeners and backing mobile and web apps with a serverless document database are not what PlanetScale is typically brought in for.
What can Firestore do that PlanetScale cannot?
Firestore covers Document Model, Real-time Updates, Offline Support, ACID Transactions. PlanetScale covers Database Branching, Non-blocking Schema Changes, Insights, Horizontal Scaling. Both handle Web support.
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